


Shadows in Moonlight

by megsblackfire



Category: Mortal Kombat - All Media Types
Genre: Christmas fun, I rare paired myself, Johnny is a good dad fight me, Kenshi is a good dad fight me, Multi, Sonya is a good mom fight me, pity my heart, prelude to Scorpion/Sub-Zero
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:09:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28172955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megsblackfire/pseuds/megsblackfire
Summary: Somehow, Kenshi managed to convince Hanzo and Kuai Liang to meet for a Christmas get-together at Jax's ranch. It's a little tense, but they are being amicable. It's a nice family retreat for everyone. Kuai Liang has an extra surprise for Sonya, but she has to wait for a strangely specific lunar phase.Johnny and Kenshi are hopeless romantics.
Relationships: Jackson "Jax" Briggs/Vera Briggs, Johnny Cage/Takahashi Kenshi, Sonya Blade/ Bi-Han | Noob Saibot
Kudos: 14





	Shadows in Moonlight

**Author's Note:**

> I rare-paired myself. I will continue to indulge myself since no one else is jumping on this real estate.
> 
> Kenshi did everything to protect his son and I will fight anyone that says otherwise. I will accept the notion that he spent some time with Takeda when he could, so long as the Red Dragon had no way to track them.

Sonya smirked as she watched Kuai Liang try and fight off the onslaught of the ankle-biters. Cassie was leading the charge, naturally, and Takeda was eagerly shrieking his warcry as he tried to pounce on the cryomancer. Kuai’s face was hidden behind a thick scarf, but he was laughing as the children continued their relentless attack.

“Who’da thought baby Subbie would be so good with kids?” Johnny chuckled as he handed her a mug of hot chocolate.

“Children are sacred,” Hanzo grumbled as he glared at the children as they managed to tackle Kuai Liang into the snow. “For the Lin Kuei and the Shirai Ryu.”

“That’s a begrudging admittance,” Kenshi chuckled as he knocked elbows with the grumpy Grandmaster. “Come on, Kuai’s a sweetheart.”

“Forget I said anything, Takahashi,” Hanzo growled and tucked his head into the neck of his jacket.

Sonya did her best not to snicker. She still had no idea how Kenshi had managed to pull this off, but there they all were, gathered together to enjoy the holidays on Jax and Vera’s ranch. Somehow, Kenshi had managed to convince Hanzo and Kuai Liang to meet on neutral ground in order to enjoy time with family. For Hanzo, that was Kenshi. For Kuai, that was her. Which still shocked her every time she stopped and remembered that Kuai Liang saw her as an older sister.

“Dad! Catch!”

Sonya dodged out of the way, laughing as Johnny took the snowball straight to the face. He yelped and squealed in surprise, sputtering as the sticky snow exploded against his face. His skin turned red instantly, the frozen water missile freezing the exposed flesh. He blinked, stunned at the unexpected attack, before he bellowed a warcry and vaulted the railing.

“Oh dear,” Kenshi covered his mouth. “Run, Takeda!”

“Scatter!” Jacqui shrieked.

The brat pack scattered, squealing as Johnny chased after Cassie first, then changed his mind and went after Takeda once he realized the kid was trying to run through the deeper snow.

“Should we intervene?” Hanzo asked.

“They’re fine,” Sonya chuckled as Kuai Liang hopped up the stairs to stand beside her. “Cocoa?”

“Sure,” Kuai nodded his head.

“Coming up,” Vera smirked as she ducked inside.

“Grandmaster Hasashi,” Kuai tipped his head towards Hanzo before he pulled his scarf down and wiped condensation and frost off of his beard. “Jackson.”

“Jax, Kuai,” Jax chuckled as he leaned on the railing. “We’ve been over this. You’re family.”

The tips of Kuai’s ears turned red and he looked at his feet. Sonya nudged him gently, smirking as she sipped her own hot chocolate. Johnny went racing past with Takeda’s body hoisted over his head, roaring that he was coming for the girls. She lifted an eyebrow, unsure if she was more amused by Johnny running around with an eight-year-old over his head or the stupid grin plastered to Takeda’s face.

“He’s… energetic,” Hanzo frowned.

“Uh huh,” Kenshi sipped his hot chocolate.

“No comment?”

“Don’t need one; you can come up with your own scathing comment about Johnny’s energy levels.”

“Getting lazy in your old age,” Sonya scoffed.

Kenshi flipped her the bird as Vera returned with a cup of hot chocolate for Kuai. He thanked her with a small bow, smiling shyly at her baffled expression. He shifted closer to Sonya, sipping the hot drink as if it wasn’t steaming and filled with scalding hot water.

“How is that not burning your tongue?” Sonya glared at him.

“I’m cheating,” Kuai shot her a smile as he wiggled his gloved fingers.

Mist was wafting off the ends, the only sign that he was using his ice abilities to cool his drink down. Sonya pouted until he rested a hand under her mug and cooled the base off for her. She purred as she sipped her drink much more frequently, watching as Johnny high-tailed it away from the children wielding a ridiculous amount of snowballs.

* * *

“You have to know one carol!” Johnny groaned as Kuai Liang sat quietly beside Sonya on the couch. “Come on! Jax’s even on the piano!”

Kuai ducked his head into his sweater, clearly wanting nothing more than to ice clone his way out of the situation. Sonya patted his knee, smiling reassuringly at him.

“It’s okay, Kuai; you can just hum along,” she reassured him.

Johnny huffed and crossed his arms over his chest like a moody child. He didn’t seem to mind that Takeda, Kenshi, and Hanzo were all singing the Japanese versions of the Christmas carols; although Sonya seriously doubted that “Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer” translated as well as Kenshi was trying to make her believe. Kuai, however, had no idea what any of the songs were and was sitting in silence while the rest of them sang. Johnny wanted him to join in, but since the internet was shot at the moment, he couldn’t force Kuai to read the lyrics off of the tablet.

“Does everyone know these songs?” Kuai asked. “Really?”

“They’re all really popular Christmas songs,” Sonya shrugged. “And they’re played on loop on the radio.”

“That sounds… annoying.”

“It is. I like Christmas, but the repetition is ridiculous, especially the ones that start this nonsense in November.”

Kuai stared at her in disbelief. “They start celebrating a holiday that doesn’t happen for another month?” he asked. “That’s… that’s insane.”

“Dad, can we open a present? Please?!”

Sonya did her best to hide her snicker as Jacqui tugged on Jax’s arm. She grinned around her braces, looking like the most adorable little girl to ever grace the world. Cassie and Takeda both looked eagerly at Jax, not daring to plead like Jacqui was, but hoping to convince him all the same.

“Well,” Jax rubbed at his jaw, glancing at Johnny with a smirk, “maybe you can open a small one.”

“Deal!”

“Can I pick out mine?”

“Yes, Takeda,” Kenshi chuckled. “Make sure you get one for everyone, though.”

“Awesome!” Cassie squealed as she and Takeda immediately dove for the Christmas tree.

Sonya almost said something about the two of them being careful, but they were surprisingly nimble in their efforts to find a small present for everyone. Cassie started running the presents to the recipients, grinning as they were accepted. Hanzo looked stunned as a small cube was pushed into his hands before he had a chance to say no, glancing at the tag and shooting Johnny a mistrustful glare. Kuai thanked Cassie as a gift was pressed into his hands, winking as she giggled excitedly and hurried off to grab another gift.

“Everyone has a gift?” Takeda asked as he dropped onto the couch beside Kenshi. He grinned as everyone gave the confirmation that they did. “Awesome! Merry Christmas!”

The kids tore open their presents with the reckless eagerness that all kids had. Sonya chuckled as she flicked the tabs on her own present open. Johnny was resisting the urge to tear his own open, but he was easily opening his gift faster than the other adults. His eyes widened as he opened the box from Vera and threw her a happy smile.

“Aw, Vera!” he laughed before showing everyone the pin she’d bought him. “It matches my eyes!”

Vera smirked as she removed her earrings and slipped her new pair on, shooting Jax a look as he innocently whistled. He flicked the lid of his new, gold-plated lighter a few times, trying to ignore Vera’s pointed look.

“Oh.”

Sonya smiled as Hanzo pulled the replica katana out of the box Johnny had packed it in.

“You said it was the only one you were missing,” Johnny grinned.

“You were listening?” Hanzo asked.

“Well, yeah?”

“Thank you, Johnny.”

“Ooh,” Kuai Liang pulled the new gloves on and flexed his fingers. “They fit great, Sonya. Thank you.”

“I’m glad you like them,” she smiled as she opened the thin box in her hand.

She frowned, looking at the slip of paper in the box. She pulled it out and unfolded it, reading the message a few times before checking to see who had gifted her it. Kuai’s name was scribbled under hers, but that only served to confuse her more..

_ “Alone under the full moon,”  _ the paper read.

“What you get, Momma?” Cassie asked as she put her tiara on her head.

“I’m not sure,” she said. “I think I have to wait for this one.”

“Oh. I’m sorry! I can get you a different one!”

“It’s okay, Cas,” Sonya smiled. “We’ll see what the present is later. Maybe your uncle’s just being cryptic,” she added with a wink.

Cassie covered her mouth and gave a wink back. They shared a conspiratorial giggle as Kenshi started waving a hand at his face. Johnny looked unsure, half-way between rushing to his boyfriend’s side and fleeing the room.

“What’s he all choked up about?” Sonya asked.

Hanzo leaned over and plucked the metal thing from Kenshi’s hand. He lifted an eyebrow at it before handing it back to Kenshi.

“It’s in braille.”

“I’m a hopeless romantic!” Kenshi wailed before he threw himself at Johnny and proceeded to cover his face in kisses.

“What does it even say?” Sonya laughed.

Johnny grinned, looking at them expectantly. Kenshi whined and nuzzled at Johnny’s cheek, tears rolling down his face as he let out loud sniffles. The smile on his face threatened to tear his face in half, so the question could only have been good.

Sonya stared at him before she started laughing. “Holy shit, Johnny Cage! What a way to pop the question!”

“Hey, getting down on one knee doesn’t work if half the equation is blind!” Johnny laughed as he turned his head to kiss Kenshi back. “Honey, calm down or you’re going to scar the children.”

“They will recover,” Kenshi whined before he buried his nose in Johnny’s neck. “And the answer is yes!”

“Oh good, someone’s smart enough to say that,” Vera laughed.

“Yes, Vera,” Jax teased. “At least he remembered to say yes.”

Sonya did her best not to choke on her water. How could any of them forget that Vera had been so excited to put her ring on that she completely forgot to let Jax know that she would marry him?

* * *

“Full moon,” Kuai said as he leaned on the wall by the door. “You should go take a walk. By the barn.”

“What did you get me that could only be seen at night?” Sonya glared at him.

Kuai’s stoic features didn’t budge. He handed off her jacket and followed her onto the porch. She stuffed her hands into her pockets and headed for the barn, wondering what on earth Kuai had gotten her. It could be a number of different things, but why he had to wait for the full moon was beyond her. As she approached the barn, she saw a shape detach itself from the shadows. Her eyes widened and she started running, tears burning her eyes as a familiar pair of glowing, white eyes crinkled in a smile.

“Bi-Han!”

She threw herself into his arms, clinging to him as his arms wrapped tightly around her. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears as Bi-Han’s fingers combed slowly through her hair, tucking strands behind her ears before he cupped her face. She reached up and removed his mask, wincing at the painful burns that stretched across his face.

Seeing the aftermath of Scorpion’s wrath would never get easier. No matter how much she prepared herself, there was no bracing herself for the stretched, scorched, and bubbled flesh. Yet, in spite of that, it was still Bi-Han’s gentle, stoic smile under it all. It was still his eyes behind the glow and it was still  _ him _ .

“What are you doing here?” she whispered before pressing a kiss to his cracked lips.

“Kuai Liang said you would be here,” he murmured against her lips. “So I decided to visit.”

“Kuai arranged this?” she whispered. “That little shit.”

“He is a devious little thing when he wants to be,” Bi-Han agreed. “But are you complaining?”

“Only that we have to meet in secret,” Sonya sighed before pushing her face into his neck. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too, starlight,” Bi-Han murmured as he kissed her cheek. “And let’s be fair to Hanzo; to him, his family’s death is still fresh in his mind. Allowing Kuai Liang to walk around uncontested is a stretch and asking him to deal with the burned face of his supposed murderer is pushing it.”

“We still have no idea who orchestrated the attack?”

“I have uncovered nothing yet. I’m still looking, though.”

She nodded and sighed heavily, burying her face in his neck. “No more talking,” she murmured. “Let’s just enjoy this while we can.”

“Yeah,” he sighed as he crushed her to his chest.

* * *

“Hanzo.”

“Sub-Zero.”

Kuai Liang sighed, not expecting much more. Hanzo was glaring at the two figures hiding in the shadow of the barn, but his mouth wasn’t twisted in anger. He looked down at his hands before crossing his arms.

“I did not agree to your brother’s presence.”

“Which is why he’s over there and not in the house.”

Hanzo shot him a glare. “If you are planning anything, Lin Kuei,” he growled.

“I would never put my family in danger,” Kuai Liang snapped. “You might only see Kenshi and Takeda as your family, but I acknowledge  _ everyone _ present as mine. Even you.”

He looked away, searching for something, anything to focus on instead of Hanzo’s incredibly warm body. Hanzo was silent, but the soft hiss of snowflakes landing on his skin made the silence bearable.

“Why?” Hanzo whispered. “I killed your brother. You have no reason to care for me.”

“You killed Bi-Han while under Quan Chi’s control,” Kuai Liang said. “Whatever your feelings for my brother, I know what it’s like to dance on that sorcerer’s leash. I might not  _ like _ you, Hanzo, but I will do what I can to protect you.”

“I wouldn’t do the same for you.”

“That’s fine.”

Hanzo let out a faint growl. “Could you not be morally superior to me for one moment, brat?” he snapped.

“No.”

Hanzo’s laugh caught him off guard. He jumped and looked at the other man, feeling his stomach flip-flop like a damn traitor in his gut. Hanzo looked so happy, the crow’s feet around his eyes heavily defined as he closed his eyes. Kuai wanted to reach out and trail his fingers over the lines, to commit them to memory for when they all went their separate ways. He swallowed and looked down at the railing under his hands, trying to ignore the way that Hanzo’s laugh made him so damn giddy.

“How are you a Lin Kuei?” Hanzo asked before he roughly clapped Kuai’s back. “Your heart is far too good to be part of that clan of scoundrels.”

“Thanks, I think?” Kuai shot him a glare. 

Hanzo shook his head and turned away. He vanished back inside and Kuai let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He pushed his fingers into his hair and groaned, tugging angrily at his scalp. Damn you, traitorous heart; why did you have to decide that his brother’s murderer was the one for him?! 


End file.
